In Memoriam: Former Hunter Professor José Manuel Torres Santiago (1940-2011)

The Hunter College community notes with sorrow that José Manuel Torres Santiago, a longtime professor in the Department of Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies, died on November 15 in Puerto Rico. Prof. Torres Santiago taught in the department from 1975-2002 and served for many years as the department's chairman.

Prof. Torres Santiago was well known as a major figure within the generation of poets emerging in Puerto Rico during the 1960s, and he was co-founder and co-editor of Guajana, considered the most important poetry journal in Puerto Rico. He was the author of 12 books and more than 100 essays and articles which appeared in newspapers and magazines in the Caribbean, Latin America, and New York. 

In addition to teaching at Hunter, Prof. Torres Santiago lectured extensively throughout the New York metropolitan area and in Puerto Rico. We send our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.